Head Start is a federal program that promotes the school readiness of children ages birth to 5 from low-income families by enhancing their cognitive, social and emotional development. Head Start programs provide comprehensive services to enrolled children and their families, which include health, nutrition, social services and other services determined to be necessary by family needs assessments, in addition to education and cognitive development services. (from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ohs/about)

Links

Models

Partners for Success: Case Studies of Collaboration Between Head Start and Pre-KClick Here, National Head Start Association, Emmalie Dropkin, July 2013

Research & Literature

A multidimensional, multilevel examination of mother and father involvement among culturally diverse Head Start familiesClick Here for ArticleJournal of School Psychology 46 (2008) 551–573

A person-oriented approach to understanding dimensions of parenting in low-income mothersClick Here for ArticleEarly Childhood Research Quarterly 27 (2012) 582–595

A portrait of family involvement during Head Start: Nature, extent, and predictorsClick Here for ArticleEarly Childhood Research Quarterly 27 (2012) 654–667

Are two years better than one year? A propensity score analysis of the impact of Head Start program duration on children’s school performance in kindergartenClick Here for ArticleEarly Childhood Research Quarterly 27 (2012) 684–694

Building on the Hopes and Dreams of Latino Families with Young Children: Findings from Family Member Focus GroupsClick Here for ArticleEarly Childhood Educ J (2012) 40:87–96 Click Here

Building successful home visitor–mother relationships and reaching program goals in two Early Head Start programs: A qualitative look at contributing factorsClick Here for ArticleEarly Childhood Research Quarterly 21 (2006) 25–45

Effectiveness of Early Head Start for 3-Year-Old Children and Their Parents: Lessons for Policy and Programs, TheClick Here for ArticleDevelopmental Psychology, 2005, Vol. 41, No. 6, 885–901

Getting ready: Results of a randomized trial of a relationship-focused intervention on the parent-infant relationship in rural Early Head StartClick Here for ArticleInfant Mental Health Journal, 33(5), 439–458 (2012)

Home-Based Head Start and Family Involvement: An Exploratory Study of the Associations Among Home Visiting Frequency and Family Involvement DimensionsClick Here for ArticleEarly Childhood Educ J (2012) 40:231–238

How Can Parents Get Involved in Preschool? Barriers and Engagement in Education by Ethnic Minority Parents of Children Attending Head StartClick Here for ArticleCultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 2010, Vol. 16, No. 1, 26–36 Click Here

How home gets to school: Parental control strategies predict children’s school readinessClick Here for ArticleEarly Childhood Research Quarterly 26 (2011) 355–364

Impacts of Early Head Start Participation on Child and Parent Outcomes at Ages 2, 3, and 5Click Here for ArticleSociety for Research in Child Development

Importance of Early, Targeted Intervention: The Effect of Family, Maternal, and Child Characteristics on the Use of Physical Discipline, TheClick Here for ArticleJournal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 23:144–158, 2013

Mother–Infant Interactions in Early Head Start: A Person-Oriented Within-Ethnic Group ApproachClick Here for ArticleParenting: Science and Practice, 13: 27–43, 2013

National Profiles of classroom quality and family involvement: A multilevel examination of proximal influences on Head Start children’s school readinessClick Here for ArticleEarly Childhood Research Quarterly 27 (2012) 627–639

National profiles of school readiness skills for Head Start children: An investigation of stability and changeClick Here for ArticleEarly Childhood Research Quarterly 27 (2012) 668–683